Kentucky Wildcats vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/03/2026

Game Time: 4:15 pm ET, Saturday, October 3, 2026

Venue:  Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC 

Where to Watch:  SEC Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +3, South Carolina -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +3, South Carolina -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +3, South Carolina -3; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Kentucky Wildcats:  3-1 (1-1) (6th place, SEC)

South Carolina Gamecocks:  2-2 (0-2) (15th place, SEC)

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Kentucky Wildcats:  won their last game at home against the South Alabama Jaguars 45-21.

South Carolina Gamecocks:  lost their last game on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide 49-18.

Kentucky is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against South Alabama 45-21. Kenny Minchey was the starting QB and he completed 19/25 passes for 177 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. CJ Baxter led the team in rushing yards with 149 and 1 TD. Kenny Darby led the receivers with 43 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Alex Afari Jr. led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace led the defense in sacks with 1.5. Grant Godfrey and Antwan Smith each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

South Carolina is entering this game with a 2-2 record overall and they have a 0-2 record in their conference games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 0-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Alabama 49-18. LaNorris Sellers was the starting QB and he completed 18/30 passes for 185 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Matt Fuller led the team in rushing yards with 112 and 1 TD. Nyck Harbor led the receivers with 42 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 1 TD. Fred Johnson led the defense in that game with 8 tackles while Tomiwa Durojaiye and Anthony Addison each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Kentucky listed as a 3 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall and their 1-1 conference record which has them right in the middle of the SEC. They have been a good road team too with their 1-0 road record this year. Meanwhile, South Carolina hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 2-2 record overall and their 0-2 conference record which has them right near the bottom of the SEC. They have looked better on their home field though with their 2-1 home record this season. They are coming off a terrible 49-18 loss to Alabama in their last one and they haven't looked good since starting their SEC schedule. They still have a solid QB who has been with the team a few years now, but he hasn't really improved in any games this year and he doesn't have a ton of talent around him either. They had a great start in their game against Mississippi State, but they blew that lead quickly and lost at home to one of the worst programs in the conference. Now coming off that crushing loss to Alabama and they could be without one of their best players here. Kentucky is coming off a 45-21 win over South Alabama in their last one and they have been a big surprise to start the season. They are in their 1st year of a new head coach and he has this team moving in the right direction. They got blown out at home by Alabama to start conference play, but they put up a really good fight in that one and were in that game until things fell apart in the 4th quarter. They bounced back though with an impressive road win over Texas A&M and now they have some momentum on their side with 2 wins in a row. Look for Kentucky to take advantage of a South Carolina team that hasn't been moving in the right direction lately. The best way to place a bet here is on Kentucky to cover the spread in this game. 

Kentucky South Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 3, 2026 (4:15 pm ET start time) is Kentucky 31 South Carolina 23.

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Kentucky Wildcats: 17-27 ATS as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 34-50 ATS vesus good rushing teams - averaging 4.75 rushing yards/carry or more. 4-8 ATS on the road off 3 or more consecutive overs. 25-9 UNDER as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 27-15 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56.

South Carolina Gamecocks: 9-5 ATS off a road blowout loss by 28 points or more. 8-3 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 7-3 ATS vs. good offensive  teams - scoring 31 or more points/game. 40-28 UNDER when the line is +3 to -3. 32-23 UNDER in a home game where the total is between 49.5 and 56.

Kentucky Wildcats:  D. Miller (WR) Questionable - Leg. L. Watkins (TE) Out - Undisclosed. T. Mizell (RB) Out - Undisclosed.

South Carolina Gamecocks:  J. Peak (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Anderson III (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed. G. Brownlow-Dindy (DL) Questionable - Upper Body. D. Stewart (DL) Out - Back. J. Sellers (WR) Out - Lower Body. J. Gibson (WR) Out - Lower Body.

“We had three backs over 100 yards, which is very positive. It was good to see Jovantae out there, getting his feet wet and then find the end zone after a long time not being in there. And Jason Patterson just continues to get better and CJ is just healthy. We like to rotate those guys. It’s a very violent position and it’s great to have guys who can go out there and run.” - Will Stein after his team’s win against South Alabama in their last game. 

“In this league, if you don’t finish drives in the red zone and you turn the ball over and you give up explosives on defense, which is what we did tonight, that’s a recipe for what happened.” - Shane Beamer after his team’s loss against Alabama in their last game. 

WR Miller, DJ

WR Anderson, Nic

WR Carr, Shane

TE Rodriguez, Willie

QB Minchey, Kenny

RB Baxter, CJ

WR Tuggle, Nitro

WR Harbor, Nyck

WR Bennett Jr., Mazeo

TE Hunt, Brady

QB Sellers, LaNorris

RB Fuller, Matt

Passing: Kenny Minchey (876)

Rushing: Jason Patterson (326)

Receiving: Kenny Darby (226)

Touchdowns: CJ Baxter (5)

Passing: LaNorris Sellers (833)

Rushing: Matt Fuller (384)

Receiving: Nyck Harbor (169)

Touchdowns: Matt Fuller (5)

Coaches:

Kentucky Wildcats: Will Stein (1st season)

South Carolina Gamecocks: Shane Beamer (6th season)